The romance options going on in this pizza place are too varied. I’ve never been the kind of person who gets embroiled in that kind of thing so it’s kind of strange to write it. I’m not particularly handsome, and hard put to tolerate a fool, so getting into any kind of situation with one person was rare. Anything past that was basically impossible. My characters, on the other hand, have a tendency to be very compatible with each other because most of them are very pleasant people at heart. They also tend to have their own kind of charisma that resonates with the others well. Maybe that’s just a function of the majority of them having a little too much of me mixed into them. Since I’m one of the only people who can get along with myself I guess that makes sense. There is always someone who doesn’t like whatever pairing you decide on when you write one. In the early years people were mad that Jo didn’t date John. Some people were really angry that she was bisexual and landed on her gay side with Jess. That eventually subsided, but it does come up every so often because a lot of people hate Jess. Ed and Jo were a pairing a lot of people liked at one time, and I could see it too. They get along well and all the other little things that make it seem like they could be a couple. I remember hearing those people being quite vexed over her choosing Jess. People didn’t really complain much about Ed and Nina, although there are people who strongly think Nina should be with Thomas. I can see why because Thomas and Nina have a very strong chemistry that really simmers when they talk about their shared past. The majority of people are in the camp that Carol and Thomas are a good match, which hinges very much on the scene where the comic changed to color. That said, there is a section of readers that hate Carol and want Thomas to be with Nina. I’ve heard all kinds of pairing suggestions. Since Mike is lonely all the unattached females get brought up. One former reader wanted Jo to date Mike in very strong terms. Maddison has been suggested, and Rulette, which both could work and make sense. Mike is not particularly picky when it comes to women, and I’ve tried to make that clear without him seeming like he’d settle for anyone. Bridgette has been suggested for him as well, and there’s not a lot to go on with her since she’s appeared so sparsely, but it’s a chance for romance and people like love stories.
I intended for the beginning to set out with the goal of seeing if I could write a love story that takes place primarily AFTER the pair have their moment of choosing one another. Which is why Thomas and Carol haven’t really been in question for me. That said, when I write Thomas and Nina there is a pull there that I can’t deny. If I was capable of writing more versions of the comic at once I would love to see what would happen if it had been those two who paired up rather than Carol and Thomas. Carol and Nina are so different in temperament that Thomas’s life would take a very different trajectory with each one. When I play it out in my head I’ve always felt like Thomas would settle into a life of being nobody with Nina. She would just be quiet and happy with him, writing her weird, sexy, stories that he would probably urge her to collect and try to monetize. There’s every chance that he would be happy being nothing and not trying anymore. He’d fall into his support mode and that would be enough. Carol is someone who spurs him on and makes him try harder. Since she’s not a creative at heart she’s not distracted by her own desire to make something from nothing. Unless you count her intense desire to be a mother. Which I’m not sure I’ve ever really stressed in the actual comic at this point, I just know it exists in her because I know it. I’ve also run scenarios where Thomas pairs up with Alex, Rulette, and basically any of the other women, just to see what it might be like. He’d have a very nice life with Patricia in her little shop selling nerd junk to other nerds. They would also create worlds within worlds on the gaming table. Thomas has it in him to be an incredible GM. I’m not sure anyone has ever said it in the comic but I intended for Rulette to say as much at one point. I simply can’t remember if I did or not after 2K+ pages you start to get fuzzy on specifics. In any case Rulette and Thomas would be a very good match even though she’s a little older than him. It would be a very happy life. Alex and Thomas would be a good match too because he’s enough like Reggie that the same general rules apply with the added bonus that he would also be very physically attracted to her in a way that Reggie isn’t since he’s so intelligence focused. He would be perfectly happy just being a janitor for the library, or handyman, and doing whatever furry nonsense Alex came up with in the interim. There’s also a lot of stuff they would resonate on that’s never mentioned in the comic, but exist in their profiles so it’s easier for me to know how they would act. Alex might actually be the best match for Thomas in the entire comic although I don’t think they’ll ever realize that about each other. Not in terms of personal success or growth, but they would be very happy and have a lot of kids.
Ironically Reggie and Carol would be a good match even though I don’t think they could ever get past each other’s defenses enough to realize it. They would be a real power couple who do business and do not indulge in their creative sides. Reggie would never explore his love of music with Carol outside of playing to relax. Plus I don’t think Carol would have the kind of intimate relationship she wants because Reggie doesn’t lust the way most men do. If they could somehow get past the aspects of each other that don’t work though they could run Boothe Construction easily. Primarily Carol, but Reggie would be a factor.
I could go on and on about this kind of thing because I’ve thought about it all for almost twenty years at this point. Over twenty if you take the version I wrote before it was a comic into account. All of the choices you make change the trajectory of you life in ways that are very hard to predict. The kind of mate you end up with, be it for a lifetime, or for a short time, can make your story go very well, or very poorly. When my family would ask me about trying to find a mate I would tend to say “I don’t need any help to do bad.” Waiting for someone to appear that wouldn’t be a problem for me over time pretty much sealed my fate as far as romance goes. Not making a choice is still a choice, and it gets made against your will sometimes.

In any case you probably have better things to do with your life than listen to my elseworld ideas. I hope you have a nice weekend. If you want to support my work I wave my hand in the general direction of the links. If you think I might be the love of your life hit me up on some platform. The first test is seeing if you’re smart enough to stalk me. I’ll be back on Monday with more nonsense. Until then, try to collapse your options into the best future.

2949 Easy Go, Easy Go.

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